Tag Archives: Deep Sleep

This week is going to be my last DEEP SLEEP pick for the 2010 fantasy season. After week 14, there’s really no way to check sleepers’ value since every week is most likely an elimination week and DEEP SLEEP’s were never meant to be just a plug-and-play type pick-up. Anyway, as usual, let’s go back to the past picks:

Brian Westbrook – Ouch, talk about a poor performance. After scoring 19.6 points the week before, he put up 3.1 this last weekend. But come on, were you really thinking about starting him against Green Bay? Expect bigger things against Seattle in week 14, but he’s still nothing more than a high-flex or low-RB2 option with Anthony Dixon taking some of those precious carries.

Keiland Williams – By far the biggest DEEP SLEEP bust of the season. I had my inhibitions to put him on the list, and from his last couple weeks, I should have stuck with my gut feelings. I just figured with Portis out for sure, Williams would thrive, but how wrong I was. The Redskins’ offense is nothing more than a good match-up for fantasy D/STs.

Pierre Thomas – Looks like week 14 should be the week he makes his come back. Considering how well Chris Ivory has been doing in his stead, there’s 2 ways this can go: Either Thomas will excel back in his old role or he will have to end up sharing his reps with Ivory. If you’re in the playoffs for week 14, I’d look for a safer play before unleashing Thomas on your opponent.

Shaun Hill – Doesn’t look like he’ll be back in week 14 from injury. When he’s healthy, he puts up good numbers.

Sidney Rice – Is 105 yards and 2 TDs considered enough? Finally Rice showed up in his breakthrough game of the 2010 season. I’m not benching him throughout the fantasy playoffs, especially after seeing his 2 TD catches last week. Ridiculous.

Jacob Tamme – Sure, a little less than normal, but I would still take Tamme as my TE over any other TE in fantasy, except, of course, Antonio Gates.

Here’s a rather depressing recap of last week’s performances by my DEEP SLEEP picks:

Keiland Williams – Mike Shanahan strikes again. Somehow Williams was given less work than James Davis as the Redskins lost to the pitiful Vikings. Sigh, I had a feeling Williams would feel the wrath of Shanahan, but I thought with Portis and Torain out, he would at least see some light.

Pierre Thomas – Good news! He might start playing a little this week, and from the sounds of it, he should be ready to go come week 14, which is fantasy playoff season. Let’s see how his numbers look if/when he plays this week. Make sure you check his practice reports if you’re planning on starting him.

Shaun Hill – After weeks of good numbers, Shaun Hill once again fell to the injury bug. He isn’t practicing this week as Drew Stanton takes his place with the first team reps. If you’re looking for a good replacement, I’d take Cassel or Fitzpatrick.

Sidney Rice – After being targeted a team-high 10 times the week before, Rice underperformed this week with 1 catch for 20 yards. Ouch. I hope this isn’t an omen for things to come, but having a stat-line like that can’t be too reassuring. I’d keep an eye on him, though.

Jacob Tamme – My pride and joy. Tamme never lets me down. He scored another TD, even with Manning’s poor play, and racked up 64 yards. Since he became the starter, he’s averaging more fantasy points per week than even Dallas Clark did.

Pierre Thomas – Still not back from injury, but he’s finally off the crutches and practiced some last week and this week. I actually wouldn’t be too surprised if we saw him take a few carries on Thanksgiving Day against the Cowboys. Can’t wait to see some goal-line plunges.

Shaun Hill – He’s still available in most leagues, and I suggest you pick him up if you’re lacking consistency at the QB position. Look at how often Detroit throws the ball! With Hill throwing 50 times a game, he’s bound to give you 200-300 yards and 2 TDs every week. Last week he had 289 yards, 2 TDs, and 1 INT. Who would’ve guessed? (Me, duh.)

Sidney Rice – Finally Rice took the field and performed decently in a game in which the Vikings were totally blown-out. I fear the inconsistency of Favre, but Rice was targeted a healthy 10 times and should start to produce even better numbers as he gets back into rhythm. He accumulated 56 yards last week, but I expect him to put up even more points next week against the Redskins.

Jacob Tamme – Another 60 yards receiving last week. Ho-hum. Note that he was also targeted in the endzone, but was unable to make the catch. He’s everybody’s TE-dream come true, including Peyton’s.

Shaun Hill – In his first week back, even with an injured left forearm, he threw for 323 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, and rushed for an entire yard. His QB rating wasn’t through the roof and his 2 point conversion attempt was pathetic, but for fantasy-purposes, he more than got the job done. Especially with the over-rated (and they’re not even rated that high), but fun to watch, Lions defense on his side, expect Hill to be throwing a lot to get his team back into games.

Sidney Rice – Why do you tease us, Sidney? We all want you to play and start putting up consistent numbers! We still have to wait for him to come off the PUP list (should be this week, if ever), and from there, we’ll see if he and Favre still have last year’s intimate connection.

Jacob Tamme – On a strange day where Peyton Manning threw 0 touchdowns, Jacob Tamme doubled any WR’s yards (including Wayne and Garcon) with his 7 catches. I don’t think he’s slowing down anytime soon, even with his minor back injury.

Let’s clarify a bit. My DEEP SLEEP pick of the week has very specific criteria:

They must be available in most leagues – I’ll try find you a guy who’ll probably show up on every other fantasy site’s waiver-wire adds the next week. Hear my reasoning, exercise a little faith, and add them when I say, in order to avoid the hype-hysteria that is sure to come.

They must be more than a mere bye-week filler – I’m not going to find you a guy who’ll be good for only 1 week. That takes rather average analysis, so I’ll leave it to the average man. I’m here to give you substance and thoughtful projected values for the remainder of the fantasy season.

They must be unpopular among major media outlets – This is a mixture of the last 2 points, but if everybody else is already talking about it, you probably don’t want to hear about it again. And besides, if everybody’s talking about it, your opponents probably already heard it.

Now that we got that out of the way, I’d like to revisit my picks prior as glowing examples of DEEP SLEEP. Two weeks ago, it was Jacob Tamme, and in his first 2 starts, he amassed 172 yards and 2 TDs – that makes him the #1 TE for the last 2 weeks. With Manning’s Midas Touch, Tamme’s doing a great job filling in for an injured Dallas Clark. Without any doubt, he has become an easy Top-3 TE. Woe onto those who foolishly passed him by – he won’t be cheap from here on out. Now, last week’s pick was Sidney Rice, and although he didn’t play, there is still good news to look at for those of you who picked him up: Brett Favre threw for 446 yards and 2 TDs. That’s more than just a good omen for when Rice gets back onto the field, especially considering how much Favre likes him. He might play week 10, but for sure, starting week 11, Sidney Rice should produce high-end WR2 numbers on a consistent basis. If you didn’t pick him up to bolster your fantasy play-off roster last week, you can almost certainly know he won’t be an easy add this week.

Okay, so before we move on to this week’s “Deep Sleep”, I’d like to first acknowledge the endless thanks and bountiful praise from the loyal readers who picked up Jacob Tamme and played him last week. He scored the 4th-most points out of all TEs, and from the looks of it, he should put up WR-esque numbers on a week-to-week basis until the end of the season. He dropped a few passes, but it’s encouraging that Manning targeted him 9 times – even on crucial 3rd downs. Manning obviously trusts him, and with a bit more time, Tamme’s hands should become fly-paper. If I were a braver man, I’d even say he’ll score more each week than the other 84. Man, I’m feeling adventurous today. If Manning trusts him, I trust him. Hold me to it.

Anyway, congratulations to those of you who managed to snag him off the waivers. If you were a doubting Thomas and chose to ignore my advice and you’re trying to pick him up this week, you probably missed your chance. Zach Miller and Vernon Davis are now both banged up a bit, which only adds to the fantasy-TE-craze, so unless you are the #1 waiver position this week, I’d suggest you try to convince the players in front of you to pick up other players instead. And that’s a great segue because this week’s “Deep Sleep” could be that other player.

So, I want to try and pick out a deep sleeper every week for those of you who are in competitive leagues, where the likes of Kenny Britt, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Marshawn Lynch are unavailable. Sure, all the major fantasy football analysts already told you about those guys, but how about someone who has the potential to become “those guys” in the near future (and is widely available)? If you’re in need for some play-makers, come back here every week for my take on potential fantasy saviors. This week’s pick after the jump.